Drapery hardware



April 1961 e. P. DEL FARO ETAL 2,980,946

DRAPERY HARDWARE Filed July 30, 1956 my WM mgw f 2% e fi r M! m ,5 J 0% i install.

United States Patent i DRAPERY HARDWARE Gordon P. Del, Faro, 4011 Hollyline Drive, Sherman Oaks, Califi; Robert E. Moline, North Hollywood, Calif; and James M. Conaway, 13039 Chase Sh, Pacoima, Calih; said Moline assignor to said Del Faro Filed July 30, 1956, Ser. No. 600,920 E. 3 (Cl. 16-873) but to date this solution has not been generally adopted because it has not been accomplished with an inexpensive simple structure.

The prior devices are also notoriously difiicult to The drapery carriers employed can only be mounted on their track by insertion from one end or the other and not at any point along the track. With this construction, errors in providing a carrier for each fold of drapery can only be corrected by removing from the carriers the material already hung and then starting anew.

An object of the present invention is to provide a traverse rod device that has wheeledcarriers from which the drapery material can be suspended so that heavy drapes can be easily opened and closed over a long span without appreciable frictional resistance.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a deviceof this character which has a novel track that is adapted to support wheeled drapery carriers and that includes an improved form of side carrier which can be mounted on the track at any point therealong so as to greatly facilitate the hanging of drapes from the device.

The invention also has for an object the provision of a traverse rod device which will support drapery material in such a way that the material hangs in a uniform vertical plane without any apparent distortion thereof along its upper edge.

These and other objects and advantages of our im- 2,980,946 I Patented Apr. 25, 1961 The track T is of generally J-shaped cross-section and can be of any desired length. Track T includes a rear wall 36, a lower wall 38, a front wall 40 of lesser vertical height than rear wall 36 and an upper wall 42 that overhangs lower wall 38 and is of lesser width than said lower wall. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the rear wall of track T is equal in width or height to the spacing between lip 32 and the stem of mounting screw 34. j

Each of'side carriers S consists of a carrier strip 76, a wheel 84, and a retainer arm 78. The strip 76 is vertically elongate and at its lower end develops into a stepped back portion '80 in which a drapery hook receiving 1101a, 82 is formed.

At its upper end strip 76 hasa rearwardly protruding pin'92 rigidly aflixed thereto that mounts wheel 84 and pivotally supports the retainer arm 78. The free end of pin 92 is enlarged to retain the wheel and arm 78. As

will be apparenn'this type of retainer can be used and adapted to permit a side carrier to be mounted on track T at any point.

Wheel 84 is supported on top of upper wall 42 of track T to support strip 76 in slidable contact with the front wall of track T. In order to reduce the friction of such sliding contact, strip 76 is rearwardly dimpled, as at 86, adjacent the lower edge of front wall 40. If desired, carrier M can also be dimpled. At its upper end, strip 76 is formed with a forwardly projecting stop element 88 on each side. The elements 88 are adapted to abut a part of a master carrier or a similar element 88 of another side carrier S to prevent overriding of carriers.

Retainer arm 78 of the side carrier S projects downwardly on the side of wheel 84 opposite strip 76 and at its normally lower end is bent forwardly to define a flange 90 that is transversely upwardly arcuate. Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that flange 90 normally hangs clear of the bottom side of upper wall 42' of track T but will be swung into sliding contact when from track T is prevented. Now if strip 76 is pivoted proved traverse rod device will be readily apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof and from the annexed drawings illustrating that embodiment in which:

Figure 1 is a partial perspective view showing our improved traverse rod track and side carrier;

' by the letter S. Each of the carirers has means from which a fold of drapery'material can be suspended.

Figure-2 is a rear perspective view of our side carrier;

180 from its position of Figure 1, the edge 94 will clear the upwardly exposed surface of upper wall 42 of track T. Side carrier S can then be moved rearwardly towards rear wall 36 of track T until flange has withdrawn from beneath upper wall 42, after which the carrier can be lifted out of engagement with track T. The parts of carrier S are joined with suflicient looseness to permit step back portion 800i strip 76 to clear the track when strip 76 is swung through Merely by reversal of the steps described, a carrier S can be mounted on the track at any point of its length.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described constitutes the presently preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adopted falling 1 within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:' v

1. In apparatus for supporting a plurality of drapery hooks and a drape supported by said hooks, the. combination of: an elongated horizontal track having a vertical front wall and an upper horizontal wall flanged rearwardly therefrom; anda plurality of carriers, each having a rigid elongate strip that extends downwardly below said track and is formed at its lower end with a drapery hook receiving-hole, a rearwardly projecting pin affixed to the upper end of said strip, a wheel that rides on the upper surface of said upper track wall rotatably supported by said pin rearwardly of said strip, and a retainer arm pivotally supported by said pin rearwardly of said wheel, said retainer arm extending downwardly frornsaid pin and being formed at its lower portion with a forwardly extending element that underlies the underside of said upper track wall a distance greater than the space between said strip and said vertical front wall to normally prevent said carrier from being displaced forwardly from said track, with said strip and said retainer arm being relatively pivotable about said pin to permit said carrier to be engaged with said track at any point along the length of said track.

2. Apparatus as set forth in-claim 1 wherein the lower portion of each of said rigid strips is inclinded rearwardly whereby the Weight of said drape tends to maintain said strips in a vertical plane.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper sides of each of said rigid strips are formed with forwardly projecting stop elements, said stop elements abutting the side elements of'the neighboring carrier to prevent overriding of the carriers on said track.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Alcoke Ian. 6, Finchum Nov. 25, Edsall Oct. 26, Rapp Sept. 22, Kirsch Dec. 1, r n h ---iy 1 Lemle Aug. 13, Wenneborg Jan. 28, Whitehead et al May 27,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 6, Great Britain Jan. 5, Great Britain Nov. 26, Great Britain Feb. 18, Germany Oct. 2, Germany Aug. 14, Great Britain .1. Oct. 24, France May 8, Germany Feb. 8, 

